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The Workplace
Faxing Over French Toast
by Laura Bowell |
The life of a telecommuter.
That MCI commercial is on again. The one with the annoyingly comfortable redhead, sitting
at home on a weekday in her bathrobe, clicking away on her computer.
"I page, I fax, I get tons done," she says, haughtily flicking back and forth a
bunny- slippered foot while teleconferencing unshowered into a meeting of dark wood and
unsuspecting suits.
Welcome to the new workplace. You already know it well--it's your own home. No more
fighting traffic, no more waiting in line for copies, no more nagging bosses in the next
cubicle.
For the individual, telecommuting provides a comfortable, familiar working environment
with fewer distractions. Lengthy commutes are eliminated as well as red tape and office
politics. Telecommuting saves money, too--gas, dry-cleaning, meals are all less of an
expense. It allows workers to see their families, work according to their most productive
hours and face less daily stress. Overall quality of life improves. One State of
California study claims that telecommuters actually accomplish 10-30% more than other
office workers.
For the employer, telecommuting has been reported to increase productivity, reduce space
and equipment costs, allow for more advantage in staff recruiting and retention and cut
sick time.
Why is telecommuting having such a positive effect?
"I think the technology has become less and less of an obstacle," says Gil
Gordon, president of Gil Gordon and Associates, a
telecommuting consulting firm in Monmouth Junction, N.J. "As equipment becomes
better, smaller and cheaper, it allows more people to do more kinds of
telecommuting."
Secondly, businesses are beginning to see telecommuting as a benefit now, says Gordon.
"The business world is beginning to see telecommuting as a legitimate solution for
business problems. It is a great way to help both employer and employee produce."
Third, telecommuting is becoming more of a way of life. "There has been a change in
mindset for telecommuting," says Gordon. People more and more want to bring their
business and personal lives into balance. They would rather be home in jeans already
working than making an arduous 5-hour commute."
So why isn't everyone faxing over French toast?
Lack of "face time" and other workers' perceptions are telecommuters' main
complaints.
"I think you're under a great deal of pressure to perform--maybe even more so when
you telecommute," says Mary Fran Tyler, a Product Planning Manager at USA TODAY
Online in Arlington, Va., and a
two-day-per-week telecommuter. "You know no one is there to oversee you, so you have
to make doubly sure you're doing your job and doing it well.
"People may think you're doing it for the wrong reasons, like your kids or
laziness," says Tyler. "What they don't know is that often you work well past
normal office hours. Just because you're not in the office doesn't mean you're not
working."
Adds Gordon, "The biggest myth about telecommuting is that employees are at home with
their feet up drinking beer watching TV. Most telecommuters are actually the hardest
working people there are."
Incompatibility of equipment and lack of access to company files are other problems
telecommuters face.
"It's frustrating sometimes if you need to know the simplest answer, but you have to
call the office instead of just yelling down the hall," says Laura Donovan, a group
life sales representative with The Hartford who telecommutes several times a week. "I
also dislike giving my home number to clients, so I have to rely on office voice mail a
lot."
Employers complain that it is difficult to manage people they can't see. Loss of the
"team" concept and company security concerns also make some employers reluctant
to implement a telecommuting system.
Like Aretha Franklin said, respect is the most important matter. "You have to have a
good reputation and be a respected worker," says Tyler. "Your supervisors have
to know beforehand that you'll get the work done well and on time. And you must have
self-discipline, or forget it."
Reprinted with permission of CareerBuilder.com. CareerBuilder, Inc. has emerged as the leading
provider of E-cruiting (electronic recruiting) services with the CareerBuilder Network,
its pioneering model to provide employers with a choice of the best career sites on the
Web from a single vendor. The CareerBuilder Network is made up of over 25 leading
professional, broad appeal, diversity, and industry career centers.
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